Essentially, I am the fundraiser, community engager, the Talker as one of my co-workers recently declared, and whatever else is required to help out when needed.

And I am happy to do it!

It would be somewhat of an understatement if I were to say I love it there, but I’m not quite sure how to say it differently.

All I know is that the people I work with were quick to welcome me to the Oxford family, and their passion and commitment for the organization and the work they do is inspiring.

They make me want to do a really, really good job!

For those of you who do not know, Oxford House is a network of 30 houses in Calgary and Edmonton that provide homes for over 140 men and women who are in recovery from addictions.

The concept is simple. Contribute your share of the household’s expenses and chores. Stay clean and sober. Join the workforce and take your life back.

Recovery is possible in an Oxford Home. And men and women in recovery benefit greatly from the peer-to-peer support they find in each other and the support they receive from dedicated staff who have lived experience, most of whom are also alumni of an Oxford home!

It takes hands to build a house. It takes hearts to build a home.

Speaking of home. It’s been the talk around our proverbial water cooler lately.

Our Oxford family has really embraced the word home.

Because we know that a house is just four walls. It keeps out the weather.

It provides security from the outside world. It gives you a place to be when there’s nowhere else to go.

But a home…

that’s where friends and family gather.

A home is where you can put your feet up and relax.

Home is where you sit around the table, eat a meal together, share your hopes and your dreams, ask for advice. Cry until you laugh. Laugh until you cry.

Home is where you can challenge others to be their best and also be challenged yourself toward the same end.

Yeah, sure, sometimes it hurts, but it comes from people who care and that makes it a precious gift.

Yes, home has become a theme; in our houses and at the office. Whenever we talk about programs or events or gatherings, we think about how to create a sense of home.

What images are conjured up when you think of home? What’s your favourite childhood memory of home? Does it seem like I’m picking your brain for more images of home? So what? We’re all friends here, right? ❤

Diana it must be rewarding to help others like this. I remember a wealthy friend of my mother’s who lived in a mansion she said to my sister one day. That she lived in a house and we lived in a home, because we had a loving big family with two amazing parents. Always remembered that when I looked at that old fibro house. Home is definitely where your loved ones hang out.

For me home is simply a place of rest, a shelter – a safe haven, a place that becomes a part of us. Growing up we moved around alot so when we bought this house – it became my home, my safe haven, a place I shared my life with my family. Probably one reason I keep finding excuses not to sell for something smaller.
A while ago I found this saying, “Home is where the Army sends you” so in a way that is home to me too – the Army life. 🙂

My favorite memories of home as a child were the people in it. My current favorite thing about home – the people in it. And the people who come (or came to) to visit because to them it is welcoming and comfortable.

What a gift you must be to the Oxford home project (not sure if that is the right word – project.) For me, home is here on the farm but it is also transferable to the nursing home in a strange way that I can’t yet describe. You are such a tonic to me, Diana, and to many others xxxx

Home is a strong topic that has followed me through all my ways of service in life, I agree it is way more than simply a roof or 4 walls. It is where you can be you, where I know I am accepted and loved in all my wonkiness, where my memories reside, and some key momentos are. Home is the most powerful word in the English language.

I love your definition of home Diana – and the contribution of others.
Its a cliche … but home really is where the heart is, and where we come together with shared values and appreciation of each other. xo

Yes there is a bit of difference there Graham, one could argue the same would be true with families living under the same roof, i.e., curfews, chores, rules about homework and how they interact with each other, etc. What do you think? ❤
Diana xo

Home to me is many things, but mostly it is a sanctuary where I can do the things I love, welcome friends and loved ones, and totally be myself. I think my favourite memories are around the dinner table with family.
Diana, the Oxford family is blessed to have you! ❤

You are part of such an important program, Diana, so happy for you, and I’m so sure you do it well. ☺ I’ve thought a lot about homes/housing recently. It really is all about where you find the people you love. Our parents kept their homes for a lifetime; we moved often, but created a home wherever we found ourselves. Great post. ❤️🏡❤️

Home to me is all those things you mentioned Diana. To be at home in a place, with others, in a place of work, with a particular philosophy etc is one of the great gifts of life. I always remember that poignant moment when ET pointed to the heavens with that little finger of his and said so longingly the word, Hommmme!